What age-related thermoregulatory changes increase susceptibility to hypothermia in older adults?

What age-related thermoregulatory changes increase susceptibility to hypothermia in older adults?

• A. Enhanced vasomotor control and increased sweating
• B. Reduced vasomotor control and sweating capacity
• C. Increased metabolic rate
• D. No change in thermoregulation

Answer: (B)

As people age, the body's ability to regulate heat becomes less efficient because the autonomic control of the skin changes. In older adults, the vasomotor response is blunted, so the skin’s blood vessels don’t constrict as effectively in the cold. That reduces heat conservation and lets more core heat be lost to the environment. At the same time, sweating capacity declines with age, reflecting reduced eccrine gland function and a diminished ability to adjust heat loss. When both heat conservation is impaired and the system cannot finely tune heat loss, the core temperature can drop more readily in cold conditions, increasing the risk of hypothermia. In contrast, an increased metabolic rate would generate more heat (not typical with aging), and no change in thermoregulation would be incorrect because aging clearly brings down regulatory efficiency.

As people age, the body's ability to regulate heat becomes less efficient because the autonomic control of the skin changes. In older adults, the vasomotor response is blunted, so the skin’s blood vessels don’t constrict as effectively in the cold. That reduces heat conservation and lets more core heat be lost to the environment. At the same time, sweating capacity declines with age, reflecting reduced eccrine gland function and a diminished ability to adjust heat loss. When both heat conservation is impaired and the system cannot finely tune heat loss, the core temperature can drop more readily in cold conditions, increasing the risk of hypothermia.

In contrast, an increased metabolic rate would generate more heat (not typical with aging), and no change in thermoregulation would be incorrect because aging clearly brings down regulatory efficiency.